Tokyo — “Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends,” the second installment of a two-parter about a reformed sword-wielding assassin in post-feudal-era Japan, opened at number one with $8.6 million on 717,958 admissions for the Sept. 13-14 frame. That was 55% better than the opening weekend B.O. for the previous installment, “Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno.”

The film’s total take for the three-day holiday weekend was $12 million.

Meanwhile, “Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno” ranked in at number seven with a cume approaching the five billion yen ($47 million) milestone. Both films are Warner Entertainment Japan productions.

Also entering the rankings last weekend was “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which grabbed the number three spot with $2.9 million on 176,233 admissions and 595 screens.

Bowing at number five was “Lady Maiko,” a singing-and-dancing musical by “Shall We Dance?” director Masayuki Suo. The film took just over $1 million on 91,772 admissions to rank in at number five, and is expected to pass the $10 million mark.
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Two action movies opened in U.S. theaters this past weekend. One of them — which you may not have heard of, thanks to the Weinstein Co.’s criminally nonexistent marketing campaign — is “Snowpiercer,” Bong Joon-ho’s marvelously imaginative dystopian railway thriller. The other one — which you have undoubtedly heard of and perhaps already seen — is “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” Michael Bay’s brain-dead celebration of stunted male adolescence.

These movies are, to put it mildly, rather different. If “Snowpiercer” offers a master class in tension and pacing, then “Transformers 4″ plays like a remedial course in bloat and overkill. Bong’s movie unfolds on a train doomed to forever circle the globe; Bay’s movie trots the globe and feels like it lasts forever. “Snowpiercer” is a resourceful independent production that will, with any luck, translate strong reviews and word of mouth into respectable arthouse success Stateside.
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Japan’s rarefied geisha culture is kookily crossed with Broadway musicals in “Lady Maiko,” Masayuki Suo’s variation on “My Fair Lady.” Gorgeously appointed and exuberantly choreographed, this crowded ensemble drama is a visual treat that, at well over two hours, needs a romantic spark to give it stronger dramatic momentum. Audiences aware of what a tacky knockoff “Memoirs of a Geisha” was may well appreciate the production’s dedication to authenticity, but it doesn’t entertain on the level of Suo’s “Shall We Dance,” or boast the zany humor of “Maiko Haaaan!!!” Still, Suo’s rep and the fascinating subject matter should ensure a decent run in select Asian markets.

The ancient, masonic world of geishas, sometimes referred to as Hanamachi (Flower Street), is almost synonymous with Kyoto, a city proud of its artistic heritage and exclusion of non-locals. However, the film reveals that since the profession’s heyday,
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The Michael Bay-directed film was partially shot on multiple locations in China and Hong Kong. It sees China Central Television’s China Movie Channel (CCTV6) as a production partner alongside Paramount Pictures and Dibonaventura Pictures. CCTV6 last year ran a talent show to cast young Chinese actors for supporting roles in the picture.

The film will open around Asia from June 25 and in North America from June 27.

Previous editions of the franchise have done huge business in China. “Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon” grossed $165 million in China.

The festival will open with the 4K restoration of Chinese classic, “Two Stage Sisters,” bowing some 50 years after its first release.

Siff also completed its main competition line-up with the addition of four more recent movies.

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